One Last Thought
by GracefulRavenFeathers
Summary: *MAJOR SPOILER WARNINGS!* IF YOU HAVEN'T SEEN ALL OF SEASON 4 DON'T READ UNTIL YOU DO! AU in which Lotor didn't save everyone's butts. What was happening in Keith's head as he hurtled toward the shield.
1. Keith

**Hi guys, it's been awhile. So season four has got me shook, and naturally all i could think about was writing a fanfic about Keith actually sacrificing himself for the coalition. Enjoy!**

Keith narrowed his eyes as he expertly maneuvered his "borrowed" fighter toward the shield, hardening his resolve. He knew it was the only way to stop the Galra from blowing up the entire coalition. His teammates had always told him he was reckless and self-sacrificing, and he had agreed, albeit internally. So it surprised him how scared he was.

He estimated 15 ticks until impact. Everything around him seemed to move in slow motion. Adrenaline coursed through him, and Keith could feel his heartbeat pounding a heavy metal rhythm throughout his body at a furious pace. 14 ticks. Every muscle in his body tensed, ready for impact. 13 ticks. Keith's survival instincts screamed at him to pull up. But he wouldn't. Not when he could save them. 12 ticks.

He squeezed his eyes shut. He knew he'd die. And he wanted his last thoughts to be of his team, rather than his impending doom. Shiro, who was basically his brother, and had finally relieved him of the leadership he never wanted. 11 ticks. Hunk, who was so kind and loyal and warm, and did what he knew was right. 10 ticks. Pidge, who he'd secretly been crushing on since she saved all of their butts on Olkaria with her lion's vine ray thing. She was so smart, and understood what it was like to be different. 9 ticks. Allura and Coran were always there for him, even when they had to witness his fits of passion. They'd even gotten over his galra heritage. 8 ticks. He'd even miss Lance, and loathe as he was to admit it, he'd come to respect and admire the new red paladin. 7 ticks.

"I'm running out of time, running out of time!" Keith's mind went into hyperdrive trying to stop him. But Lance had always teased him for being stubborn, and he wasn't about to prove his "rival" wrong. 6 ticks.

At five ticks, Keith's brain shut down, accepting his fate. His eyes closed tighter as tears of fear threatened to escape.

"I'm sorry I let you down guys," he muttered to himself. 4 ticks. One rebellious tear traced his cheek. "I shouldn't have abandoned you." 3 ticks. Deep breath in. Deep breath out. 2 ticks. One last thought.

"My time's up."

Collision came one tick later than he'd anticipated. Despite his wishes, Keith's purple-black eyes snapped open on impact. Everything too bright. Too in focus. Then numb, empty, lonely darkness.

 **A/N There ya go! I apologise for all the Hamilton references (Review if you think you caught them all) and gramatical errors(review about them and I'll fix it). Next chapter will be up next Monday(Team's reactions). Review or PM me with questions, suggestions, or plans to fight instead of fleeing west.**

 **Remember who you are and what you stand for!**

 **RN**


	2. Shiro

**early update cause I'm bored. Enjoy!**

Shiro couldn't believe what had happened. He didn't want to. Keith. He had only been 18. Barely an adult. Too young. And now he was gone. Forever.

Sitting alone in his quarters, the black paladin allowed tears to flow freely, silent sobs shaking his muscle-bound form violently. He'd promised to look after him. And he'd failed. Shiro remembered the last time he had talked with Keith face to face; when Keith had left the team. The younger man had chosen his own path. Shiro'd said some harsh things. Keith'd been tired of waiting around, doing shows. And there had been no stopping him.

"I should have stopped him," Shiro whimpered under his breath. He remembered hearing Keith's last thoughts over the comms. He wasn't sure if his surrogate brother had been aware that he'd still been connected, or that he'd been muttering under his breath about his friends and teammates up until the end. But what got Shiro was how scared the kid's voice had sounded when he uttered his last words.

 _"_ _I'm sorry I let you down guys."_ Shiro swallowed the lump his throat. But Keith hadn't let anyone down; He'd fought well and hard, and paid the ultimate sacrifice for millions of people he'd never met.

 _"I shouldn't have abandoned you."_ Abandoned _th_ _em_? If anything, Shiro felt they'd abandoned him. Shiro felt the panic attack rising in his chest, tightening and making it hard to breath. They had made Keith feel like an outsider, when he'd been trying to be a voice of reason.

 _"My time's up."_ Shiro wished it hadn't been. He wished it could have been him instead. He wished he could have told his brother how much he mattered to him. But Keith was gone. And no amount of tears could bring him back.

 **So id like your opinion. Please review with the letter a or d. Both are good choices, and will make the story more interesting. A special thanks to** LadyNoir242, Moonview, This-Lil'-Fan-Girl, Ivmpumpkin, and Rinpiesweet **for following. And to** DerpyDino511, LadyNoir242, NoMelmporta32, Raindrop Hues, and ZephiraRubel-chan **for** **favoriting. And especially to** LadyNoir242 **for reviewing!**

 **Until Monday,**

 **RN**


	3. Pidge

Pidge hadn't been seen for days. The only person who knew where she was was Matt, and he wasn't spilling. She'd made sure.

"Please, Matt. I need some space."

"Katie, it isn't healthy to isolate yourself from people who are trying to help you."

"I can't... I can't face the team. Not yet. P-please don't tell anyone where I'm going."

"I...fine. I won't."

"Promise?"

"Pinky swear. Just stay safe?"

"Pinky swear."

Pidge sat in the cockpit of her lion, clutching Keith's jacket to her chest. Keith had mysteriously left it in his room when he left team Voltron, and in light of Keith's unconscious reveal of his feelings for Pidge, the team had determined the green paladin should keep it.

"Oh Keith," Pidge mumbled into the fabric. "How could you do that?"

Green rumbled reassuringly in the back of Pidge's mind, but there were undertones of concern and sadness.

"He... He liked me Green. He thought I was s-smart. And understanding. But I'm an idiot. I d-didn't understand. I pushed him away, b-because I thought he only cared about 'the mission', but I was w-wrong. I said stuff. I was angry at him for l-leaving. And I brought him down. P-pushed him away."

She scrubbed at her tears with a fist. The sleeve of her baggy green and white hoodie slipped a little, revealing fresh burn scars from her bayard among the other silvery scars littering her arm.

Paladin mine, Green murmured maternally, You and I know you do your best. Red's paladin knew this as well. You mean much to all of Pride Voltron. Your thirst for knowledge sets you apart and makes you indispensable.

Pidge cried harder, but knew what her lion had told her was true. Her hands gripped Keith's jacket. Suddenly, she heard the soft sound of crinkling paper. Her golden-brown eyes snapped open, and her hand shakily crept into the jacket pocket. She pulled out an envelope addressed to Team Voltron.

Immediately Pidge put her lion in gear and they took off, speeding through the wreckage of the galra base She'd torn apart in her rage and depression. She didn't look back, but one solitary tear traced her cheek as she hit open space.


	4. Hunk

**Hello Friends! Happy Monday!**

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Hunk sat in the kitchen of the castleship. He was surrounded by inventive baking experiments, but they were all untouched. He'd used up all the castle's extra food suplies, and Coran had to ask him to stop before they had no more food. Not that anyone was hungry.

Coran was the only thing keeping the castle running; he ran around with his usual exuberance, making sure his paladins were eating and sleeping and getting enough exercise. But Hunk could tell Keith's death was dragging the Altean man down as well-bags under his eyes, a smile that felt a little forced, changing the subject whenever Keith was in danger of being mentioned.

Hunk was shaken out of his reverie by a loud roar. It could only be one person; Shiro had locked himself in his room, Lance had been playing his videogame almost non-stop(with little to no improvement), and Allura had been busybodying around the castle, pretending the people around her couldn't see the tears. Pidge was back, and Hunk immediately ran to her hangar.

As he ran, Hunk tried not to think about how he'd treated Keith in the weeks leading up to his leaving. Mostly a silent treatment, but he regretted every second of it. He wanted to apologize, but it was too late. He couldn't take any of it back now.

He burst into Green's Hangar, and was surprised to find he was not the first person there. Lance, bedecked in his blue pajamas, and Coran, in all his ginger mustachioed glory, already stood at the feet of the green lion. They were soon joined by Allura. Pidge descended from her lion in a flurry of movement, barreling down the "gangplank" in a flash of green and red, right into Allura's arms.

Hunk blinked. Pidge rarely showed that much affection to anyone except Matt. Whatever she'd learned on her journey had shaken her. That is when Hunk noticed the envelope. He froze, then sprinted away, faster than he ever had before. He had to find Shiro.

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 **Sorry for the length! Thanks for all the favs, follows, and reviews! I feel so loved. I love you all! Stay Alive. l-/**

 **remember to vote A or D in the reviews! I need to know by next week!**


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